


Into the Darkness

by littlemaple



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-07 07:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12835803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemaple/pseuds/littlemaple
Summary: Alfred is lost in the woods. If he doesn't find his way out before dark, he knows he won't ever leave it. And the sun is setting.





	Into the Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a short story I wrote a while back at tumblr. I'm thinking about posting my not-so-short stories here as well, so here we go. I had lots of fun writing this, so if you like it, please let me know!

As the sun set behind him and the forest grew orange around him, Alfred’s anxiety grew wider. He had gone in too deep into the forest, and now he couldn’t find his way back. His pursuers had given up a long time ago, cursing him to get lost and die and be consumed by the dark forces that lived within the forest.

Well, luckily for them that seemed like something bound to happen. Alfred was completely lost. As the sun sank in the horizon so did his heart in his chest. Once it became completely dark, it’d be over. He had no light and no means of creating one.

He wasn’t going to give up just yet, though. He still had a bit of time before darkness consumed him, most certainly in a literal way, and he’d use everything he had to avoid it.

So he ran. He ran towards the sunlight, stepping in twigs and avoiding bushes and jumping over fallen logs. He ran and tried to ignore the forest creatures in the shadows, the eyes and sounds and fear.

But it didn’t matter how much he ran or tried, night was falling faster now, and the wind was making the leaves and twigs and branches move and…

Alfred stopped when a branch moved right in front of him in a way that clearly was not work of the wind. He felt cold as tears formed in the corner of his eyes. That was wrong. That was so, so wrong.

He resumed running, grabbing whatever hope he still had as he watched the sun disappear.

Alfred didn’t feel like he deserved any of this. He was a good person. He worked hard. He’d feel angry if he had space within him for that feeling, but he was too scared, too tired, too hungry, too sick.

He stopped to breathe and screamed when he felt something grabbing his feet. He moved, supporting his weight in a trunk while he jumped and shook his foot, one at a time, but something grabbed his hand then, curling up his arm and he had no time to take it off himself before another something grabbed his feet again.

And soon it was all over him, paralyzing him in place. And only then he noticed what it was. Vines. They were coming from the trees and from the ground but they were stronger than vines were supposed to be. Alfred tried to fight them, but the more he moved the more they squeezed him, so he stopped.

And then there were footsteps.

Alfred listened, breathing heavily, his heart racing in his chest. He envied his heart for that, because  _he_  wanted to be the one running. Running away from there, running to safety, to anywhere…

The footsteps stopped and the darkness gave place to a cloaked figure, the moonlight showing its pale face. Alfred froze and he wanted to be afraid, but he was too charmed by the figure’s eyes: they shined in the dark in a way that Alfred was pretty sure human eyes weren’t supposed to, and they were of the most beautiful, precious green Alfred had ever seen in his life.

The figure removed its hood to better inspect its prey, and even in the dark of the night Alfred decided it was the most beautiful man he’d ever seen. He had delicate features that somehow still looked dangerous, and his blond locks were loosely braided.

“Humans should know best to stay away from my forest,” the figure said, and finally Alfred managed to feel some of the fear he was missing.

He nodded, feeling his air escape in large amounts. It was cold. He was cold. He coughed.

“I, I didn’t mean to be here. It was an accident. Please let me go,” he asked, looking the figure in the eye.

“What have you done?” the figure asked, curiously eyeing Alfred, “I saw them chasing you into the forest.”

“I haven’t done anything!” Alfred yelled, angry, hurt.

“Oh, you certainly did. They even stepped in the forest after you, before going back. You must have done something terrible. Did you steal? Did you kill?” the figure asked, a faint smile in his thin, pale lips.

“I did  _not_!” Alfred yelled again, the vines curling strongly on him when he moved, “I did nothing wrong! I just–my brother was sick, okay, and I hid it! And then he died and they found out and they think I have the sickness too, so they…!” Alfred was saying and coughed again, for longer this time, having the figure watch him with interest.

“You do have it,” he pointed out.

“Are you going to lynch me too? Go ahead! I’d do it again! He was my brother, what the hell!” he cried, tears in his eyes again.

He was so cold. He was so scared.

He didn’t even notice the way the other man’s eyes widened for a while before falling to the ground.

“To the villagers you are dead and dead you will be if you stay in the forest on your own. My pets will eat you and I’ll let them,” he said, quieter. He moved his hand in the air and the vines started to move away from a puzzled Alfred, “And even if you somehow manage to avoid the creatures, your illness will get worse and you will die. Either way, you are a dead man.”

“Thank you, I didn’t know  _that_ ,” Alfred said, angry and suspicious and scared.

“However…” the man said, “you may come with me, to my cabin. I can give you medicine and shelter.”

“And why should I do that?”

“Because no matter what, you are not leaving this forest. You may die in it or you may live in it. It is your choice.”

Alfred hesitated. He was so cold. He felt sick, tired and scared. What  _choice_  did he have? He didn’t want to die. He nodded. The figure grinned.

“Follow me.” he said, and Alfred did.


End file.
